New Titan... Airbag Sensor Works!!!

[chazz1202]

Hey all thanks for all the great info, i was well armed when we finally struck a deal on the exact truck I wanted (galaxy, CC, big tow, LE, 4X2) on 7-24. Just to let you know the truck has a build date of 7-4 and the airbag sensor seems GREAT. My wife weighs 112 pounds and the light goes off everytime she gets in it- I put some barbell weights in the seat to test the limits of light, 90 pounds light on/ 100 pounds light on/ 110 pounds light OFF! Perhaps nissan has lowered the weight to 110??? Anyways thanks for the info and we love this truck, even had a new dodge owner say that he wished he had checked the nissans out first b/f he bought his new quad dodge after looking at our truck! The only problem we have is that the seatbelts in the back seat lock and won't release, don't see that the TSB acknowledges this... Am I correct? WE LOVE THIS TRUCK

[JAKE04TITAN]

Originally Posted by chazz1202

Hey all thanks for all the great info, i was well armed when we finally struck a deal on the exact truck I wanted (galaxy, CC, big tow, LE, 4X2) on 7-24. Just to let you know the truck has a build date of 7-4 and the airbag sensor seems GREAT. My wife weighs 112 pounds and the light goes off everytime she gets in it- I put some barbell weights in the seat to test the limits of light, 90 pounds light on/ 100 pounds light on/ 110 pounds light OFF! Perhaps nissan has lowered the weight to 110??? Anyways thanks for the info and we love this truck, even had a new dodge owner say that he wished he had checked the nissans out first b/f he bought his new quad dodge after looking at our truck! The only problem we have is that the seatbelts in the back seat lock and won't release, don't see that the TSB acknowledges this... Am I correct? WE LOVE THIS TRUCK

Nothing wrong with my air bag sensor and I purchased in FEB.........

[bestatchess]

Originally Posted by chazz1202

The only problem we have is that the seatbelts in the back seat lock and won't release, don't see that the TSB acknowledges this... Am I correct?

There was a post on this forum about a recall related to the rear seat belts to the effect that the dealers were supposed to fix the trucks in inventory prior to sale, and that notices will be mailed to current Titan owners in September.

[rvandam]

Originally Posted by bestatchess

There was a post on this forum about a recall related to the rear seat belts to the effect that the dealers were supposed to fix the trucks in inventory prior to sale, and that notices will be mailed to current Titan owners in September.

The recall addresses the anchoring of the left and right seatbelts in the back; it does not address the fact that they lock up and effectively 'strangle' you by reeling in the slack and then locking.

[chazz1202]

Yes rvandam that's the problem I'm having, my poor 4-year old in his car seat experiences this a couple times a day do to his moving forward and back so much, then it locks up and it as you said strangles him. We have to pull over and unattach the car seat and reel in the slack+ then re install the car seat. Other than this we are thoroughly enjoying this truck so many fords and dodges staring at us is great!

[Orange Crush]

Smart airbags easily fooled; defects cropping up on next-gen systems
By RICHARD TRUETT | Automotive News

DETROIT -- Smart airbag systems may work with test dummies, but they are proving no match for humans.

The systems are supposed to detect the size, weight and position of a front-seat passenger to control or stop the airbag's deployment. The federal government mandated the systems after reports of deaths and injuries to children and small adults in the 1990s.

But there's a problem. Some smart airbags can't tell the difference between a child and a small adult. Others are so sensitive that if a seat cover is installed, the sensor will turn off the airbag.

Now that automakers are starting to install these systems, defects are cropping up. Although there have been no deaths or government recalls, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has received complaints about flaws in seven of the 51 models with smart airbags.

Even suppliers of the technology admit there are flaws. "No matter what system it is, there's a way you can fool it," says Ken Kaiser, director of safety and security engineering for TRW Automotive Inc. in Livonia, Mich. "There's a weakness in every system."

Last September automakers began installing automatic airbag shutoff systems in 2004-model cars and trucks. Twenty percent of all new vehicles sold in the 2004 model year have them. By Sept. 1, 2006, all new vehicles sold in the United States must have the system.

In March, Nissan North America Inc. recalled 13,700 Quest minivans after complaints of the airbags being off when they should have been on. An indicator light illuminates when the passenger-side airbag is shut off.

To repair these vehicles, dealerships must remove the passenger seat from the vehicle and ship it in a special container to a repair center. While the seat is out, the vehicle cannot be driven.

Nissan says the repairs take about a week.

The automaker is arranging for owners to rent vehicles while their vans are being repaired.

Nissan would not say how much the recall will cost. Nissan spokesman Eric Booth said the airbag supplier, which he would not identify, is paying part of the recall cost.

Several owners of the Nissan Titan pickup also have reported malfunctions with the airbag cutoff systems, but no recall has been issued.

About 50 owners of the 2004 Hyundai Elantra have complained to the company that the passenger-side airbag system won't turn on when the passenger is seated.

Hyundai engineers in Korea have been studying the problem since February but don't know how to repair it. Hyundai Motor America recommends that owners of the affected cars tell passengers to sit in the back seat or else trade in their car and purchase a different model.

Hyundai would not identify its airbag supplier.

About a dozen owners of some Jaguar, Jeep, Lexus and Toyota models also have complained to NHTSA about defective airbags. Those complaints generally note that the system turned off the passenger airbag after failing to differentiate between a child and small adult.

Major suppliers include Delphi Automotive Systems, TRW Automotive, Takata Corp., Autoliv Inc., Siemens VDO Automotive and Key Safety Systems. Inc.

NHTSA estimates that it costs between $25 and $130 to install smart airbag sensors.
Ironically, the government's airbag rule may no longer be necessary.

Deaths of children caused by airbags have dropped from a high of 32 in 1998 to none so far this year. Safety experts cite two likely reasons:
1. Automakers designed airbags that inflate with 20 percent to 35 percent less force.
2. Parents have gotten the message that children are safest when riding in the back seat.

NHTSA spokesman Rae Tyson says the agency is not considering a repeal of the smart airbag regulations. "We need to give the technology a chance to shake itself out," he says.

Safety advocacy groups are torn. They fear the technology might make some people less diligent about keeping children in the back seat. But those groups say the safety systems are needed to protect children that may ride in the front seat.

Most airbag cutoff systems rely on sensors in the seat, seat belts and elsewhere to determine the passenger's size, weight and position. The information is sent to a computer, which determines whether the passenger-side airbag will be deployed and with how much force it will be activated.
Some defects also might occur during the production process, says William Mattingly, a Chrysler group vice president in charge of electronics.

"It wasn't so much the technology," Mattingly says. "You could build one. It's when you have to build 70 an hour that it gets a little tricky. I think they (NHTSA) were a little ahead of us when it came to process capability. Someone showed a senator one of these and - lo and behold - it worked."

Until the auto industry debugs these systems, motorists may have to endure the consequences.
Consider the plight of a motorist who owns a 2004 Lexus ES 330. He told federal regulators recently that the passenger-side airbag stays off unless his 85-pound wife has a 10-pound bag of potatoes on her lap.

http://autoweek.com/cat_content.mv?p..._code=09310365

[chazz1202]

Thanks crush good info to. By the way, took truck into nissan today to have seatbelts looked at (i left it locked to prove what is happening) and they fully understood the annoyance of this problem seeing my 4 year old fighting with the belt. Ordered the new seatbelt mechanism and will install next week. So far they were very friendly and wanted to prove they're gonna take care of me- I'll post later when the repair is actually done. The general mngr even called me to insure he was aware of the problem and would stay on top of it. Everyone so nice, kinda strange and eerie...!

[emilioferrer]

Just to add to this issue: My wife is 90 to 92 lbs depending on the last dinner. The OFF bag switch goes off sometimes and sometimes doesn't. I took it my KC LE big tow to the Nissan dealer the first time I noticed that and when I tried to demonstrate the problem to the service custormer representative it did work, so I thought it was only my imagination. When I got back home and my wife sat on the passanger seat again it did not work. Only then I realized how borderline my wife's weight was.
One of these days somebody is going to get hurt while the bag does not deploy and then it will get interesting. In the mean time I will assume that Nissan will announce a recall when the problem is fixed, will they?

[jm1]

Hello All
I have a silver XE 04 with about 1100 miles on it, yesterday the service engine soon light came on. The truck seems to run fine. Anyone else ever have this problem?

[bwalkertitan]

my wife weighs 105 lbs and the airbag functions correctly. I think that those that have problems with the airbag are in the minority (at least that is my impression).